Case carrier for bottles



April 13, 1943. E. J. REID ETAL CS CARRIER FOR BOTTLES Filed Jan. 14, 1942 Patented Apr. 13, 1943 CASE CARRIER FOR BOTTLES Emerson J. Reid, Kansas City, Mo., and John W.

Taylor, Kansas City, Kans.; said Taylor assignor to Hume Manufacturing Company, North Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application January 14, 1942, Serial No. 426,682

10 Claims. (Cl. 224-48) r`his invention relates to com-bined cases and carriers for bottles to form a container in which the bottles may be stored, shipped and handled at the points of bottling and distribution, as well as to provide a convenient carry-home package for retail display and sale. One of the objects of the invention is to produce a carrier of such nature that they may be vertically stacked one on another, each superposed carrier being interlocked against longitudinal and transverse shifting movement in relation to its underlying carrier. This arrangement insures a stable stack which is of primary importance at retail display points and the like.

More specifically our object is to produce a construction of the character indicated in which bail handles are provided, or the handles may be otherwise mounted, for movement to a plane above the Abottles for convenient grip, and are also so designed that the handles of all of the carriers except the undermost one of a stack, may be depressed to effect an interlocking relation with the bottles or other parts, of an underlying carrier, and thus maintain each successive carrier in alignment so that a balanced and stable stack results.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of the type indicated, which is so formed that when a carrier rests on a support, the lower ends of the handles project below the plane of the bottom of the carrier to provide a four-point support or area o f limited contact to lessen the frictional resistance incident to sliding the carriers to and from the shelving of the usual type of rack employed for the handling and distribution of cased bottle goods.

With the general objects named in view and others as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair of stacked carriers, each containing its full complement of bottles.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the lower carrier.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken at right angles to Figure l, on the line III-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective to disclose clearly the construction of the handle members of the present embodiment which bear a hinged relation to the carrier and lock.

Referring to the drawing in detail, I and 2.

are similar horizontally arranged rectangular wire frames, the frame 2 being vertically disposed above the frame I. A pair of U-shaped brace cross frames 3 of wire or the like, depend from the sides of frame 2 beyond the frame I and are secured to the sides of both frames, and to impart greater rigidity to the frames I and 2, the sides thereof are respectively connected by cross braces 4 and E. To give added strength to the fra-mes I and 2, and by cooperation with the cross braces 4 and 5, to divide the carrier into a series of pockets for receiving and spacing bottles, a pair of longitudinal braces 6 and 'I respectively, are connected by welding or the like to the ends of frames I and 2, and the points of Contact of braces 4 and '5 with braces 6 and 'I are welded or otherwise fastened.

The particular embodiment of the carrier illustrated is designed for containing twelve similar bottles B, each of said bottles snugly tting one of the pockets and standing upon a platform or bottom consisting of a series of closely spaced longitudinally arranged U-frames 8, resting upon and secured to the bridge or bottom portions of the frames 3, the uprights or arms of said frames 8 being permanently secured at the ends of frames I and 2. The construction above described comprises the main portion or body of the case or carrier, and for convenience of handling, primarily in the bottling plant and as incidental to distribution or storage, the carrier may 'be provided with hinged handles 9 at its opposite ends.

For the convenience of the retail buyer to form a carry-home container and also to form means for the automatic interlocking of the stacked carriers, an adjustable handle is provided, which in the present construction is of bail-like form, as follows: Normally lying below and substantially parallel to the vbottom of the carrier as formed by the wire frames 8, are a pair of U-shaped links comprising body portions IIl normally located in horizontal planes closely approximating the spaces between longitudinal rows of bottles B (Figure 1), and side arms II which are in approximate alignment with the spaces between pairs of transverse rows of bottles B. The ends of the arms II terminate in eyes I2 encircling the outermost frames 8 to form kpivotal points. In this connection, it isto be noted that the greater the diameter of the necks of the bottles in proportion to the diameter of their bodies, the closer the bodies IIl of the links must approximate the vertical plane of the median between the longitudinal rows of bottles, necessitating longer arms II, assuming the pivotal points I2 remain unchanged. It is also to be noted that if the arms II are lengthened, it will necessitate lengthening of the handle hereinafter described, if the same relative positioning of the parts is to be maintained, without antr other structural change, since a lengthening of arms II increases the arc of swinging movement.

The carrier handle comprises two bails or members, each cooperating with one of the links IU--I I, said handles comprising grip portions I3 extending parallel t0 the longitudinal rows of bottles, and arm portions I4 extending below the bottom of the carrier or platform and terminating in eyes I5 loosely encircling the link arms II to constitute pivotal connections. Parts I6 and I3 of the links and handles respectively are of such length as to position their respective arms II and I4, in the spaces between pairs of transverse rows of bottles. Thus, when the bodies IG of the links approximately parallel or fit flatly against the underface of the carrier bottom, the handle grips I3 are spaced some distance above the plane of the tops of the bottles and the handle members may be oscillated on their eyes I5 back and forth between dotted positions :c and y, Figure 3. Also, when a carrier has been centered on an underlying loaded carrier, the operator may push the handle grips portions I3 downwardly, causing the links Ill-II and handles I3--I 4 to respectively move downwardly by swinging on their centers I2 and I5, until the links Ill stop further movement through abutting the necks of the bottles carried by the underlying carrier, Figure 3. At the time the bodies IIJ of the links strike the necks of the longitudinal rows of bottles, it will be noted that their side arms II and the side arms I4 of the handles come into close relation to the necks of the transverse rows of bottles. The superposed carrier is thus locked respectively, against transverse and longitudinal dislodgment, by contact of the bodies I0 of the links and the arms II-Id with the bottle necks.

By reference to the undermost carrier shown in the drawing, Figures 1 and 3, it will be noted that the four eyes I5 of the handles I3-I4 form supporting feet for the carrier. The frictional resistance to sliding a loaded carrier to or from position on the shelving of a truck or the like',

is thus materially reduced. Referring to Figures l and 3, it will be understood that a carrier is removed from a stack by grasping the handles I3 and when a vertical lift is imposed thereon, the handles I3-I4 and the links ICI-II swing around their respective pivots until the latter come into abutment with the bottom of the carrier, at which time the grip portions I3 automatically adjust themselves to their central positions :c spaced above the tops of the bottles, and the load is widely distributed over a number of the frames 8 forming the bottom of said carrier. As a measure of convenience, the handles I3-I4 may be oscillated outwardly to contact with the upper frame member 2 (see the dotted line positions y, Figure 3) when the carriers are being loaded at the bottling plant, since in this position they are entirely out of the way and constitute no impediment to the quick loading of the bottles in their respective compartments or pockets.

From the above description, it will be apparent that we have produced a construction embodying all of the features of advantage set forth as desirable, and while we have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that we reserve the right to all changes within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A bottle case and carrier comprising a supporting platform having pockets to conne a plurality of bottles in longitudinal and transverse rows, a pair of U-shaped links pivoted to the platform to swing in opposite arcs downwardly below the bottom of the platform and having body portions paralleling one side of bottle rows and side arms paralleling and in substantially the same plane as the spaces between said bottle rows at right angles to the first-named bottle rows, and a pair of bail handles projecting through the platform and pivotally secured respectively to the U-shaped links.

2. A stack of superposed carriers, each having a plurality of longitudinal and transverse rows of individual bottle pockets adapted to contain bottles projecting upward beyond the tops of the pockets to a common horizontal plane to form an underlying support for the next-higher carrier, a pair of handle members for and at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of each carrier, and having substantially-horizontal tops or hand-grips, the lower ends of the members extending through the bottoms of the respective carriers, and means on each carrier connected to a member of the handle thereof, and movable downward to permit depression of the connected handle member until the top of the latter reaches or passes below the plane of the tops of the bottles of the respective carrier and the lower ends of the members attain positions between bottles of longitudinal rows of the underlying carrier.

3. A bottle carrier of skeleton form divided into upright pockets disposed in pluralities of longitudinal and transverse rows, a pair of handle members at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the carrier and extending through the bottom thereof, and a pair of links pivoted to the bottom of the carrier and extending inwardly 1,-. relative thereto and underlying it and adapted for swinging downward from and upward against it, the links below the bottom being pivotally engaged with the lower ends of the handle members to move upward with corresponding movement of the latter and downward when the latter are depressed, the links in the depression movement 0f the handle members moving downward and outward against the inner sides of bottles of longitudinal rows of bottles at opposite sides of the longitudinal center' of an underlying carrier forming part of a vertical stack.

4. A case carrier comprising a supporting platform for bottles or the like, a handle adjustable upward and downward relative to said platform, and means of stiff character extending transversely of the platform and associated with the latter and the handle and pivoted to the platform for swinging upward toward and downward from the underside of the platform, concurrently with corresponding adjustments of the handle, and pivotally engaged with the lower end of the handle.

5. A case carrier, comprising a platform upon which spaced bottles or the like may stand upright in pluralities of longitudinal and transverse rows, a stiff handle of bail-type, disposed with its leg portions within spaces between transverse rows of the bottles on the platform, transverselyextending stiff links pivoted to and adapted for swinging' upward toward and downward from the underside of the platform, the leg portions of the handle extending through the platform and pivotally-connected at their lower ends below the platform, to said links; the latter having upward and downward swinging movement concurrently with substantially vertical movements respectively of said handle, and the handle having swinging movement on said links through the spaces through which said leg portions extend.

6. A case carrier, comprising a platform for the support of a plurality of bottles or the like, a stiff handle of bail-type swingable laterally of and also bodily adjustable upward and downward relative to the platform, and means pivoted to and extending transversely of the platform for swinging upward toward and downward from the underside of the latter, the said handle extending through the platform and engaged at its lower ends with said means for currently moving substantially vertically upward and downward respectively, with upward and downward swinging movements of said means, the handle being proportioned for its top or hand-grip portion, when the said means is in its raised position and the handle is swung laterally toward the longitudinal center of the platform, to attain a plane above that of the bottles on the platform, and when the said means is in its depressed position, to occupy a plane not higher than the tops of said bottles.

7. A case carrier, comprising a platform having pockets for bottles or the like of size to project upwardly out of said pockets and stand in substantially equi-spaced relation and in a plurality of longitudinal and a plurality of transverse rows, links at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the platform and extending transversely of and pivoted to the platform for swinging downward and upward relative thereto, and a bail-type handle at each side of the longitudinal center of the handle, the leg portions of said handles extending down through .the platform and pivotally connected to the links at the corresponding sides of the longitudinal center of the platform, the leg portions of the handles extending through spaces between transverse rows of the bottles, and the top or grip portions of the handles, when the latter are swung inward and the links are in their depressed positions, occupying planes substantially as high as the bottles, and higher planes than the tops of the bottles, when the links occupy their raised positions.

3. A vertical stack of case carriers, each case having a platform provided with a plurality of longitudinal `and transverse rows of pockets for holding bottles of size to project upwardly out of said pockets and form a horizontal support for an overlying case, pairs of links at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the platform and disposed transversely of and pivoted at their outer ends to the platform for swinging downward and outward between transverse rows of the bottles to positions between bottles of longitudinal rows of the underlying case, and a bail-type handle at each side of the longitudinal center of the platform, the leg portions of the handles extending down through the platform and pivotally connected to the links at the corresponding sides of the longitudinal center of the platform and disposed for passage between transverse rows of the bottles on the platform, and, when the links are in their depressed positions and between longitudinally-alined bottles of the underlying case, also extending between the last-mentioned bottles and cooperating with the links and the said bottles of the underlying case, in preventing material relative longitudinal movement of adjacent cases.

9. A stack of case carriers for standing on 4a floor or the like, each case comprising a platform having a plurality ofrlongitudinal and transverse rows of pockets for holding substantially equispaced bottles projecting upward out of said pockets, `a pair of U-shaped links at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the platform, comprising transverse arms pivoted at their outer ends to the platform and longitudinal body-portions connecting the inner ends of said arms, and bail-type handles extending down through the platform and pivoted at their lower ends to said links, the lower ends of the handles of the case, except the undermost case handles, swinging downward and outward with the connected arms of the links, and with the latter occupying positions between and in close proximity to the upper ends of the bottles of the underlying case, and the body-portions of the links abutting the inner sides of bottles of the said underlying case, standing between said arms and the legs of the handles, to prevent dislodgment of adjacent cases by relative lateral or transverse movement.

10. The combination in a vertical stack of case carriers, each for holding upright a plurality of longitudinal yand transverse rows of bottles in substantially equi-spaced relation and of equal heighth, to provide a horizontal support for an immediately overlying case, a pair of U-shaped links for each case at opposite sides of the longitudinal center thereof, and each comprising a longitudinal body-portion below the respective case, and spaced transverse arms extending outward from said body-portions and pivoted to the bottom of the case for upward and downward arcuate movement relative to the case, and a pair of bail-type handles for each case at opposite sides of the longitudinal center thereof and extending through the bottom of the case, the legportions of the handles extending through spaces between transverse rows of the bottles and pivoted to the links at the respective sides of the case, the handles when swung inward of the case and depressed, imparting downward and outward arcuate movement to the links until the bodyportions thereof are lower than the tops and in close proximity to the inner sides of the bottles of the immediately underlying case, and the hand-grips or tops of the handles are in a horizontal plane not higher than the upper ends of the bottles on the case equipped with said handles.

EMERSON J. REID. JOHN W. TAYLOR. 

